She had short red hair and black eyes.
During the game, her unavoidable wrinkles gave her the vibe of a woman in her 40s, but now her skin was elastic enough to be in her mid-20s.
She wore a gray robe commonly worn by wizards with unclear affiliations.
It wasn't made of expensive material, so it could be obtained for around 30 UP if purchased cheaply.
Wearing it until it was worn out undoubtedly meant she had no money.
Kaitlyn, who had been sipping tea, stood up from her seat and awkwardly bowed.
"It's been a long time, Adeleheights senior. No, now you're the Tower Master."
"I didn't expect you to come here on your own."
"Were you looking for me?"
"I was literally looking for you."
Kaitlyn asked, looking at Reed with a surprised expression.
"It's really unexpected that the owner of the Silence Tower would look for a wizard as insignificant as me."
"I had sent people out to inquire about you."
"Well, it's no wonder they couldn't find me. Everyone seems intent on killing me, claiming that I'm a fraud..."
Kaitlyn bit her lip tightly.
In the world of wizards, plagiarism is a fatal disgrace.
Regardless of the truth, the mere involvement in such a dispute had already dealt a significant blow to Escolleia.
"Anyway, it's surprising. That you, my senior, would look for me. After calling me a 'commoner' and looking down on me every day."
"I'm sorry. I apologize for my past mistakes."
"No, what's there to be sorry about? I followed you knowing all that."
Kaitlyn brushed it off casually.
Reed took a sip of his tea and asked her,
"So, you seem to know that I'm looking for you, but why did you come here?"
"Well, nothing special... I heard that you're researching magnesium, Senior."
"So, you came here because I'm researching magnesium... Does that mean you're researching magnesium too?"
Kaitlyn nodded her head.
"Yes, I've been conducting various research on my own for a year now."
"What kind of research were you doing?"
Reed was secretly tense.
Although she had not yet reached the transcendent stage, her levels of "Magic Engineering" and "Crafting" were at 5.
Her levels were higher than when Reed first started in earnest, so it wouldn't be strange if she was far ahead.
"Processing magnesium ingots."
"...For a whole year?"
Reed had a puzzled expression, unable to understand.
Kaitlyn had spent a whole year on the task that Reed had completed in just a few days?
Kaitlyn then let out a sigh.
"To process magnesium, I need to control the forge's fire, need magnesium ore, and manpower. I also have to go through trial and error. Although I can buy and create more if there are trial and error failures, doing so leaves me with no money to buy food. After paying the taxes to the village, I have to get up early in the morning and drink only dew... Ugh!"
Kaitlyn hunched over, clutching her stomach.
Seeing her painful expression, Reed's face filled with confusion.
"Are you okay? Is your body hurting?"
"Well, it's embarrassing to say..."
"Go ahead and tell me."
"The truth is, I've been starving on my way here..."
"..."
'Really, it's an embarrassing story.'
Reed looked at his watch.
It pointed to 11:40.
Almost lunchtime.
Thinking it was well-timed, he suggested to her,
"Alright, let's have a meal together and talk since you've come a long way."
"...I don't have any money, how can I have lunch..."
"I can treat you to one meal."
That meant it would be free.
Kaitlyn, who had been hesitating, lifted her head.
Her pained expression disappeared as if it was a lie.
"I won't refuse your offer."
"Is this really a meal that the tower master eats? I'm having a precious experience of the meat melting in my mouth."
Kaitlyn rubbed her stomach with satisfaction.
It was indeed a rare experience.
She had eaten twice as much as Reed, yet her stomach remained intact. It made one wonder if there was a space pocket in her stomach.
'She said she was poor.'
She was a magician who had entered Escoleia with the body of a commoner.
But she hadn't completed her studies and was expelled, so her future must have seemed bleak.
"Now that you've eaten well, we can proceed with the conversation. You said you were researching magnesium ingot processing?"
Kaitlyn nodded with a pleased face.
"Yes, it was quite difficult. However, after three trials and errors, I greatly reduced the margin of error. So now, the temperature is between 1,330 and 1,370..."
"At 1,355 degrees, heat for 7 minutes to create it."
Reed interrupted Kaitlyn's words.
"That's the temperature used when processing magnesium ingots."
"How can you be so sure?"
"The magnesium ingot processing you're working on has already been completed at our Silent Tower."
"...What?"
Kaitlyn looked at Reed with wide eyes, asking.
"It means that while you were going through three trials and errors, the formula for ingot processing has already been created in the Silent Tower."
She understood the meaning of turning theory into a formula.
It's something that any magician would naturally know.
"So, with magnesium..."
"Researching it any further is impossible without my consent."
A magician's intellectual property rights are absolute.
Violating it would result in a social obliteration on a different level than just a plagiarism dispute.
Not being able to process magnesium ingots meant that she couldn't create anything using magnesium.
For Kaitlyn, it was like a bolt from the blue.
She had poor equipment and a meager budget, but she tried to overcome it with her talent. It was devastating to know that Reed had already surpassed her.
"Is there any chance you could allow me to do some research...?"
"That might be difficult. After all, it's the tower's main asset."
If the authority to process magnesium ingots is handed over to a middle-of-the-road magician, the face value itself would decrease.
Kaitlyn knew this too, so she tried to probe but didn't push it.
"Ah..."
She could only let out a hollow laugh.
Kaitlyn leaned back against the chair and looked up at the ceiling.
Her empty eyes and open mouth seemed to be losing her soul.
It was an unavoidable problem.
From the beginning, the research of individual magicians and the research of magicians in the tower had different systems.
Even if she had talent, her poor environment prevented her from catching up with the most basic things.
"Anyway, congratulations. Then..."
"Where are you going?"
"Since magnesium research is out of reach, I have to find another path, don't I? I guess I should research fairy transformations that can fill the stomach with just dew."
'What nonsense are you trying to research?'
"Isn't there still a way?"
"Do you plan to permit magnesium research?"
"No, that's not it."
"What other way is there then!"
Kaitlyn got angry, thinking that Reed was mocking her.
"What if you join me and continue the magnesium research?"
"... With you, senior?"
"If you join the Silent Tower and continue your research, you'll undoubtedly be able to solve a significant part of the hardships you're facing.”
For the unemployed magician Kaitlyn, it was an incredibly attractive offer.
It was such a good offer that she couldn't tell if it was a dream or reality, and she asked a foolish question.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Is, is sleeping free and eating free?"
"Yes."
"Ah, do you also treat for free when sick?"
How many times will she make him repeat 'yes'?
"Depending on your achievements, you'll receive compensation, and if you want, you can be promoted."
"Compensation..."
Kaitlyn's open mouth wouldn't close.
Everything is free, and they pay her to do the research she loves!
However, this was just a very minor condition.
Reed knew what she desired the most.
He put it forth as the final condition.
"And I will personally resolve the plagiarism dispute at Escoleia, pay for a full scholarship, and support you to graduate safely from the academy."
Hearing that, Kaitlyn didn't try to think any further.
She simply got off her chair, knelt down, and deeply bowed.
"Master of the Tower!"
Kaitlyn Ramos.
She had found the boss to whom she would devote her loyalty for the rest of her life.
